elmarco

And I drive past at least once a day. Nice area (but I have to say that ) and pretty close to everything. Might want to mention it is easy access to Highbrook Drive and the motorway interchange.

I love how they enforce the rules:

Yes it does seem to be a bit patchy out there. I know some companies that are dead in the water (completely different industries but all market leaders, and large companies), and others that are just flat stick. Really odd times. I do know it is pretty ugly in the job market although well qualified candidates are still finding work.

Oh yes, Excel is an incredibly powerful tool in the right hands. Not as powerful as MatLab, but hey, we have users that can't even seem to operate anything as simple as Outlook reliably let alone MatLab!

Or a Holden intake valve in my case.

To be honest, it is a bit company dependent (common with some I have come across, and the complete opposite with others), and at the moment everyone is trying to stretch out their cashflow as long as they can. Normally at their suppliers expense.... One thing you can do is a credit check on prospective customers and speak to some of their existing suppliers before accepting them as a customer. You could also lodge a PPSR (someone else will have to advise exactly how and when etc) - but without knowing the exact circumstances I don't know how relevant it is to your current issue. It is unfortunate that not everyone has the same ethics and morals in business - but I guess that's what makes the world go around and keeps the loan sharks, debt collectors, and credit controllers employed.

Hmmm - yes IP and copyright law is a murky subject at best, and I know for a fact that our patent lawyers charge about $500 an hour.... So, you need to be very clear as to how much this problem is worth to you. I know, you feel wronged and want the satisfaction of being proved right (and grinding the other guy into dust.... sorry I might have added that bit), but be sensible about: a) how much you could recover given a best case scenario b ) how long you want to wait to see your money c) how much you are realistically going to spend winning the case I have no idea how much money is involved, but I think you are starting correctly in having a professional letter written as it may show you how resolved the other party is to not paying you without laying out huge sums of cash. You got to know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em to quote Kenny Rogers, and which battles you can economically win - easier said than done I know, but take the emotion out of it and make a business decision. One thing I won't tolerate is a lawyer charging you to do a quote - understand their fees before you do anything else. My wife got stung like this and eventually just paid their bill (to give her a quote which she eventually declined due to their shonky practices) - much to my disgust, and annoyance. Good luck! Edit: not sure how the got in there...

We use ShadowProtect to backup to disk, then back that up to tape (offsite). ShadowProtect is awesome for disaster recovery - lets you recover an entire server as fast as the data can be transferred (minutes vs hours). DR planning is big business and it is surprising how few businesses actually take it really seriously. Until they lose a server and all the data on it.... Good on you for planning appropriately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kzoa1HtE8g

1 ppm failure rate is not bad.... They threaten to delist you as a supplier if you get to 50 ppm! To put that in context, you may supply 300,000 items over 3 years, and get a total of 15 rejects at the factory... Sorry, bit off topic.

I actually know someone that has one... Last time out was 60+ mph over a 4ft swell with the big block damn near 6000 rpm on big open pipes (there is nothing that sounds better). Felt like I had been run over by a bus for 4 days afterwards we got such a beating though... Hate to think what 90+ mph over 8 footers must feel like. Especially when you get it wrong off a wave...

Fantastic!

Hmm - interesting information. The Mk4 was off our list on aesthetics, not mechanicals! I have owned 2x Mk3 Golfs and the only issues I ever had was a clutch leaking slave cyl on the VR6, and an A/C compressor on the TDi. They were both pretty reliable apart from that. As for the Mk4 - I guess the Germans don't always get it 100% right (the Mini CVT would be a great example). They can't be that bad - I've never heard the horror stories about them like I have about the Audi's or Mini's....

Yeah - 2 places close to us have both been reclad in the last 6 months.... Both would be 6-7 years old now. As above, do make sure you have a lawyer lined up before hand (not sure if you can ask for references from a lawyer or not, but have found mine to be pretty bloody average - I am paying them to speak english, not lawyer!). And do make sure you have an independent valuation and building report done. The building report is important as it should flag up anything that you need to know about - cracks in foundations, mildew, leaky building etc. If there is something they should have seen and not notified you of in the report, they should be liable for it. The valuation may be required for a loan (depending on your circumstances) - and should give you an idea of it's real value compared with recent sales in the same area. Marsh & Irwin have done all of mine and they seem to be reasonable - with a list of the other properties they have looked at in the area and their sell price. I would probably not give too much away to the agent about your budget - give them a ballpark but keep the final number close to your chest. The more they know about your budget, the more leverage they have over you. I personally wouldn't bid on an auction for all of the reasons given above - you are under pressure to commit from the agents and don't have the time to think about it (call me a control freak.... it just doesn't suit my personality). I also don't like the fact you have to lay out all the money on LIM, building report, valuation etc before you even bid - and having spent the money, there is no guarantee you will even get a look in if someone else wants to spend more than you on it. Having said this, don't let me put you off - for some people it really works (especially if you stick to your guns), and there are some good deals out there. As above, the lawyer should be able to advise you what you need to do, as should your bank. Alternatively, you have an offer of more info from someone in the industry (oldskool) for a bit of advice or you could check out the consumer website. Good luck - hope you end up getting it for a steal

Edit: might work now

Wow - bag of meat....

Don't forget your swiss army knife, duct tape and mullet to do it properly. Edit: slurring my type....

No it's not new. I had a WoF inspector threaten to fail my old ZX7R on the basis it had braided lines without any approval markings (this was 2004). Unluckily for him, I pointed out his ignorance of the approval markings stamped on the lines that he had failed to see during his 'inspection' and flat refused to ever use OnRoad again.

Bastards. I have heard of full vehicle resprays after one key incident (due to blending any undamaged panels). Try Owens European or Eurocollision - but you might find it cheaper to take the hit and claim on insurance to get a good job done.

Sweet - I need one of these at work! East Tamaki chainsaw massacre. How much juice does it draw??

Haha - Gaylord Place....

Righto - time for an update.... The saga continues, although we are pointing in the right direction now. Or maybe I should rephrase it that she has come around to my way of thinking. After driving many breeds and models it looks like the Mk5 Golf is the result. We seriously looked hard at 307's, but I was just never 100% on them. Nothing serious - they all drove well and were well specced - I actually think it was the 4spd auto trans that bugged me. We were pretty serious about one but decided to have a closer look at Golfs before committing. We looked at the Mk4 Golf and she put the foot down and said no based on aesthetics. I can't disagree as I've never particularly liked that model. So yesterday we took a couple of Mk5 Golf's for a drive. First was a 2.0l FSi with 6spd tiptronic (not the DSG). It drove easily as well as anything else we have looked at. In fact, those extra 2 gears in the trans make a hell of a difference - it was really snappy in response to throttle inputs and would be something I could happily take on a long trip and have a bit of fun in. That particular car was not that flash spec wise, but wasn't bad either. 8 airbags, traction control, dual zone climate etc. Then we drove a TDi with 6spd DSG trans & leather.... Bugger me with a fishfork! I had it chirping tyres in 2nd & 3rd gears with around 50% throttle on and not pushing too hard!! It was pretty quick to the point that I reckon it would give the 330 a serious run for its money at the lights. I would seriously have to consider one of these when I eventually replace the beamer. I've owned a number of Golfs before (including turbo diesels) and they have always gone really well. Wifey didn't like the diesel as it was noisy - nothing out of the ordinary, but noticeably more noise than the petrol immediately before it. Both cars were outside the budget, but have demonstrated the breed and tick every other box. So, the guts is that she is going to hold out a little longer and pick up one up when they drop in price a little (the Mk6 has only just been released, so there is some fall to come in the next 6 months or so). So, can anyone (Glenn) give me an idea of what a cambelt is worth to replace on a Mk5 Golf petrol engine? I know they are 5 year items and the cars we will be looking at will be on the verge of replacement - just helps with negotiations. Oh, and before I forget, I have on the whole been very impressed with the service received at the car dealers. Most have been very friendly and not at all pushy (with the exception of the guy at Giltrap Toyota). Especially good service at Giltrap VW, Continentals Peugeot yard, and Team Mini. Credit where credit is due....

I remember Valeo trialing a camless engine a few years back. Not sure who its was for - possibly PSA (Peugeot/Citroen).

Max torque at zero rpm is always going to be a winner! That is pretty cool stuff - good for him!